An Alternative Love
by totalnerdandproud15
Summary: AU one shots featuring one of my favorite couples. From cops to wings one couple finds love in different times and places.
1. An Equus Romance

**Author's Note:**

So I've decided to write a bunch of one-shots with my guilty pleasure couple. Most of them will be AU and some may seem out of character, but I'm not apologizing for that.

**Chapter 1:**

Obito was starting to get worried. He had not seen the brown stallion since this afternoon and he was worried that something might happen to the proud horse.

He had been worried for a long time that Iruka would be upset about the transfer, but the last riding lesson that Naruto had, Obito noticed that Iruka's legs had been shaking with the boy's added weight. Naruto wasn't a kid anymore and the teen needed a stronger horse for lessons and the upcoming competition coming in fall.

Obito pulled the reins on the white stallion underneath him. Kakashi was a former race horse and one of the strongest on the Uchiha ranch. He was now Naruto's new horse for training and competition. The white stallion and the brown one did not get along very well in the beginning but over time the two had become reluctant friends.

Kakashi was a strong horse that his uncle had bought him personally for his horse ranch. He was one in an auction, and the ex-race horse had been very wild in the beginning. It took Obito almost a full year to tame him for something other than racing and it had been an interesting time.

Kakashi as Obito and the other workers learned was a very strange horse, in personality and looks. The white horse had a wild mane that would stick up in odd places if it wasn't brushed regularly, and his black muzzle made it seem as if he was wearing a mask. One of his eyes was a steal gray and the other one was a blood red. He had a scar going through his left eye from a previous fight. His personality was almost private, while he enjoyed being ridden he liked to be away from thwarting other horses when they were on the pasture. He was left alone by all the other horses till Iruka came in.

Iruka was a rescue horse from a circus where he had been abused by his old owner, a man named Mizuki. When he had bought the scarred horse he had been underfed and had recently sustained and injury to his back, which had made him useless to the circus. They were going to kill the brown horse till Obito's former teacher, Minato, bought him. Minato had asked Obito to take care of him at the ranch and that he would help pay for any medical expense as well as have his son work there during the summer. Obito had agreed but only if Naruto agreed to take riding lessons.

Iruka was also a strange horse. He loved to be in water almost as much as he loved people and Obito would often find him splashing around in the large pond in the forest of the ranch. While most horses had to be fenced in and chased after if they ran away, Iruka was an exception. No matter how far he went on his own he always came back. One time Rin had found that Iruka followed her all the way to her house on the opposite side of the ranch.

Iruka also loved people, especially children. His favorite person was Naruto and for seven years Iruka had been his companion. Whenever the boy came for lessons or work Iruka would follow him around like a puppy. He was even protective of the boy and had knocked over his cousin Sasuke when he had punched Naruto in front of the horse.

Iruka was also the only horse not afraid of the bigger and stronger horses. He would go up to them and start playing despite the fact if they were hostile. It took months for him, but eventually Kakashi had warmed up to the brown horse and the two had become friends. When they weren't busy with riders the two would always be seen near each other and Obito had seen them on more than one occasion snuggled up against each other.

Because of his abused past Iruka could only handle so much weight despite being slightly smaller than Kakashi. So when one of his younger riders got too heavy for him and had to move on to a stronger horse, the scarred horse would often get depressed and would disappear into the woods for hours. He always came back, till now.

That's how Obito found himself riding Kakashi looking frantically for the other horse in the woods. There was supposed to be a dangerous storm and Obito wanted to find the lost horse before it started.

Obito looked around some more but decided to walkie talkie Rin and Naruto before getting too deep. Naruto was riding Guy and was looking for the horse near the pastures while Rin stayed near the barn.

"Rin has he come home yet?"

_"Not yet. I'll keep you updated." _

_"No luck on this end either. I hope he's alright."_

Obito cursed under his breath. He was hoping that Iruka wouldn't go all the way to the pond but if he wouldn't answer to Naruto's calls then he could only be there.

"Let's go to the pond Kakashi, he has to be there." The horse shook his head in response and started galloping down the path towards the pond. Obito put on his riding goggles when he could and held on tighter with his legs. Kakashi was one of the fastest, and the horse seemed as desperate as he did.

When it started to rain Kakashi only went on faster down the path. Obito held on tighter and prayed he wouldn't fall off. In his haste to locate the horse he only put the reins on Kakashi and not the saddle and he was starting to regret it. He almost fell off when Kakashi stopped abruptly.

"What is it boy? Do you hear something?" Kakashi shook his head and detoured off the path and into a heavily wooded area. A little while later he heard the frightened sounds of a horse. Kakashi went faster and Obito held on tight. It had to be Iruka it was the only reason why Kakashi would attempt anything faster than a trot in a non pathed area.

Up ahead he could see a brown horse struggling in some branches. The scar across the muzzle confirmed it was Iruka and Obito felt relieved. The horse must have gotten caught in the roots of the large tree and that was the reason he hadn't returned. Obito quickly got off of Kakashi and walked slowly towards the brown stallion. When Iruka was frightened he was often violent so he made sure that the horse could see him the whole time.

He came to Iruka slowly and touched his muzzle gently. The brown horse calmed down but was still struggling with one of his back legs pulling at it. Obito knelt down and drew out his pocket knife and began to saw through the root carefully. When Iruka was free he practically jumped away from the tree. Obito laughed at the horse's actions, and Iruka nuzzled his head which made the ranch owner fall down in the mud.

"Think your funny don't you?" When both horses made a laughing like sound Obito wondered not for the first time if he was crazy for talking to his horses. "Let's go home you two."

...

When they had gotten back Naruto had practically attacked his favorite horse and Iruka had nuzzled his crazy hair and licked his face. Rin scolded Obito for not letting her know that Iruka was safe, but she had a smile on her face which meant Obito was safe from sleeping on the couch.

He was closing up the barn that held the horses and he smiled at the site in Kakashi's spot in the back.

Iruka was laying down right next to Kakashi in a warm looking embrace. The brown stallion had his head resting on the white stallion back and both were sleeping.

_fin_


	2. The Agent and his Catch

**The Agent and His Catch:**

Kakashi wondered for the first time how the hell he ended up working for Minato, and why he kept doing it.

Then again working for him meant his life was never boring.

According to the file he was given, the man he was rescuing was being held captive inside one of Orochimaru's secure underground labs. The man was known in the underground world as being a complete lunatic and anyone of his special projects was often found worse than dead.

There had been little information about the man's background, which had surprised the agent. Kakashi and his team were to rescue a mysterious man that had seemed to pop out of nowhere about a year ago. They basically only knew two solid facts: his name was Iruka Umino and he was very important to Naruto, Minato's son.

Apparently the man he was to rescue had done an act of heroism himself. There had recently been an attack on Naruto's life, and his personal tutor who had only been hired two months prior had risked his life to save his new student. Umino had been kidnapped from his room in the hospital and had been missing for two months.

Kakashi had been away on another mission for Minato and was not there at the time. Normally he wouldn't get involved with a case so personally but Kakashi was curious and it took a lot for him to be curious.

_"I got the camera for the east entry on loop Hound. Just tell me when you're ready and I'll open the door. Cat is watching the main entrance and Turtle has the van already when you need it. Raccoon is in there if the need for a medical arises."_

"Copy that Eagle. I'll send out the signal when I've acquired the target. Wish me luck." Kakashi heard a laugh on the other line and smiled as he entered through the door. Obito was a computer genius and his agent codename was perfect for his 'eye in the sky' work.

The lab was underground and the owner was currently directly above it at a charity event being held by Minato himself, it provided the perfect distraction for the rescue. After disposing of the one guard he came up to Kakashi made his way through the underground maze. Obito was giving him directions through the radio and so far everything was going fine.

_"Stop. According to the files the target should be in the room directly in front of you. I've already disabled the alarm, and the door should open without trouble."_ Kakashi tapped the receiver twice to let his fellow agent know that the door opened without fault.

Once inside the room the lights went on and for the first time in his whole life the great Hound was left speechless. Most of the room was taken up by a very large clear tank and inside that tank chained to the wall was what looked to be a merman. The merman was indeed Iruka Umino; the description was almost exact, except for the whole tail thing of course.

The man was still inside the tank and he eyed Kakashi suspiciously. The agent took note of the various cuts all over the merman's body. He had obviously been experimented on in some way. He was bleeding slightly near the gills on his sides but that was only a small problem.

"How the hell am I supposed to get you out of here?" Kakashi wasn't expecting an answer but the merman raised a webbed hand up to beacon the confused agent over. He pointed to a small intercom looking item near the edge of the tank.

"If I get completely dry, I can just walk out with you. I'll walk you step by step. I'm guessing by the ANBU uniform you work for Minato." Kakashi could only nod his head in response; apparently the merman wasn't as freaked out as he was about the whole being a merman thing.

"If you look to your right you'll see a control panel. The first lever nearest the meter will drain the water completely." Kakashi pulled the lever and almost instantly the water began to rapidly drain from the large tank. It took seconds and soon Iruka was sprawled against the ground his tail shimmering from the drops of water still on it. "Next I need you to pull the next lever down. That will make the tank dry so I can get my legs back." Kakashi once again did as he was told and watched in fascination as the long shimmering tail became a pair of strong looking tan legs. Iruka had an impressive human anatomy, and the pervert inside Kakashi couldn't help but stare at the large...

"ANBU!" Kakashi immediately snapped his head up to the man's slightly blushing yet irritated looking face.

_"Hound We Are Waiting For Your Most Youthful Status Report!" _Kakashi cringed at the loudness of the radio.

"Damn it Turtle! Don't yell into the radio. I'm good in here and the status of the target is rescued but his condition is... is unknown." Kakashi looked around the room and thankfully found a pair of hospital pants that he threw inside the tank. There was an airtight door to the side that had opened when the tank was dry.

"I um... I have a slight problem." Kakashi turned around to see Iruka was still on the ground. He was struggling on the ground to rise from shaking legs.

"You can't walk." Kakashi couldn't help the exasperated tone in his voice. Minato owed him big on this.

"You try not walking for two months and see if you can walk!" Kakashi couldn't help but smirk at the comment. He was expecting a quiet mannered teacher not one with an explosive personality. It certainly made both the mission and the target more interesting.

He went over to the frustrated man and the picked him up bridal style. He was hoping that the tutor would be small but he seemed to be only slightly smaller. They went through the familiar corridors and towards the east exit. Kakashi looked down at the man he was carrying in his arms and sash surprised to see tears.

"Are you okay?" The man quickly buried his head into his carriers shoulder. Kakashi had seen victims of Orochimaru's experiments before and one that was crying was way better than the usual alternative. He wasn't usually good at these types of situations so he started whispering words of comfort into the man's ears. It seemed to work because soon the man stopped shaking and had fallen asleep.

Once he got into the van he held onto Iruka carefully while Rin looked him over. The van was unusually quiet considering Guy was driving, but he must have gotten the hint to be quiet. Kakashi had no idea what happened to the man sleeping in his arms, but he obviously hasn't slept much in the past two months.

Yamato watched his captain with a curious eye. He had never seen Kakashi like this with another person. The tan man must be very interesting. He had a feeling that this was just the beginning of a grander story.


	3. Hospital Crush

**Hospital Crush:**

Iruka gave a bright smile to his current patient. He was working rounds in the Psychiatric Unit during the graveyard shift. He wasn't expecting anyone to be awake at this hour, but than this wasn't a normal patient.

Kakashi Hatake was brought in for PTSD after him and his partner was caught in a local gang shooting. Kakashi had been moved here from the ER and his partner was declared dead on the site.

Iruka had no idea why Kakashi seemed so smitten with him. He usually worked as a nurse in pediatrics but was brought in to the ER with the shooting. He had been given Kakashi's file and was told to patch him up till one of the doctors came in. He had one gunshot wound to the shoulder and a piece of glass had cut the left side of his face and was bleeding heavily. None of it was fatal; it seemed that his partner had saved his life.

"Hello Kakashi, how are we doing at... three in the morning?" Iruka gave Kakashi a hard look and began checking his bandages around his eye. He wasn't expecting an answer Kakashi hadn't spoken a word since he got here. "Well your eye looks as good as it can be and I'll let Dr. Tsunade know that you won't need the bandages anymore. I need to check on the others so if you need anything just press the button."

"Thank you." It was said so quietly Iruka almost missed it completely. He turned around to face the silver haired patient and was awarded with the site of a smile.

"It's my job, but I'm happy to help."

...

A few weeks have gone by and Kakashi's treatment has been going well. The man would be discharged tomorrow with the necessary medication, an eye patch, and the instructions to take it easy and to go see a therapist.

He had come a long way from his first words since the accident, and Iruka was starting to have feelings for his patient. It was not an ideal situation, getting attached to easily be one of the reasons why he couldn't be a doctor. He hoped that after tonight he wouldn't see the handsome police officer again, for his own sanity.

"Well it looks like this is your last night here Kakashi. It's a good thing as well, it sounds like your men miss you from all these visitors. Especially that green guy." Kakashi gave a chuckle at the memory of one of his more eccentric friends and the sound of it made Iruka's heart flutter.

"Yes well... that was the plan." Kakashi gave a wild grin before he gripped Iruka's arm and brought him onto the hospital bed with him. "I had to get better faster so I could thank you properly."

"What... what do you mean?" Iruka's heart was pounding so hard he felt it might burst. He didn't realize his feelings were even realized, much less returned.

"I want to thank you for being the only one who told me the truth about Obito that night;" Kakashi was whispering very softly now. "And then there was one time where I just gave up living, and you told me not to waist his sacrifice and to live for him. Do you remember?"

"It was a hectic night. I... I'm..."

"You really have no idea how special you are." By know Kakashi's face was barely an inch away from Iruka's and he could feel the man's warm breath. He hadn't even realized the man had removed his almost always present mask till now.

The world seemed to stop when their lips meant. It was gentle, and slightly hesitant. Iruka took the chance to break it and separate their faces only slightly. Kakashi seemed depressed at the act and Iruka felt momentarily bad about it.

"I want to... God only knows how much; but I can't lose my job from this." Kakashi went to say something but the nurse but his finger to his lips. "So, once you get out of here tomorrow. You'll pick me up at the main entrance at seven. From there we will go to a movie, my choice, and then go eat dinner, your choice. After that, we'll see how it goes."

Iruka ended his statement with a lingering kiss. He wasn't an expert in kissing but he hoped it was full of promise. He left the room, and turned around at the door to give him a smile he only gave to his favorite patients.

...

"Well brat, you were here longer than usual, but I'm glad to see you leave." Tsunade gave her most reckless patient a rare smile.

"Yes, well I was distracted." Kakashi finished zipping up his bag and picked it up gently. He then took the eye patch and put it over his eye.

"Listen Kakashi," The addressed man took in his doctor seriously. She only used his actual name in situations that called for no nonsense and extreme care. "Be good to my best nurse. He may be young but the kid's has had a hard life. Break his heart..."

"Why would I ever break the heart of the man who saved mine? I'm already in deep, if anyone's heart will be broken..." He broke off when his doctor gave him a warm hug. It was another thing she rarely did, and the silver haired officer took the time to enjoy it.

"Brat, I got a feeling that it will all work out."

_fin _

**Author's Note:**

I'm not really happy with this story, I know about how hospitals and gunshot wounds work as much as I know about how the universe was made.


	4. Desperate Situations

**Desperate Situations:**

"He isn't doing so well. I think he's starting to get tired of fighting." Tsunade layed a gentle hand on Kakashi's shoulder as an attempt at comfort. Both of them knew however that no amount of comfort could stop the inevitable. "If he doesn't get this treatment soon..."

She trailed off, the statement didn't need to be said out loud. Iruka was dying, and they couldn't afford the treatment he so desperately needed. Kakashi couldn't help but feel that this was all his falt somehow.

The two had been together for almost four years now and they had been through a lot more hardships then either of them deserved. A little under two years ago Kakashi had lost everything. Jirahya's company had been taken over by Orochimaru and the lawyer had lost not only his job, but all of his money and possessions, even his house.

It was a hard time for Kakashi, he was left homeless and Orochimaru had convinced almost every law firm that Kakashi could not be trusted. He was sure that Iruka would leave him, but the lawyer was quickly reminded why he should never underestimate the teacher's heart.

The man had insisted that Kakashi move in with him and that he put to good use his military training and accepts the low laying job at the local dojo. Originally the dojo was run by their friend Guy as a hobby, but because of the takeover it had become the loud man's only source of income as well. Kakashi knew that Guy was doing him a huge favor and he was never more thankful to the crazy man.

When it seemed that the two had finally settled into their simpler life styles, Iruka had gotten sick. Kakashi had noticed for the past few months Iruka had seemed weaker and he had thought it was stress from the takeover of Jiraiya's company. When Kakashi had found Iruka passed out on the kitchen floor with blood coming out of his mouth, he knew that life would change drastically for them.

Treatments had started immediately, and they took a toll on the young teacher. He had lost all of his muscle definition and had become extremely thin. His long thick hair was gone, and was replaced with a bright orange hat given to Iruka by his favorite student, Naruto. The teacher was so weak from the treatments and the sickness that he could barely move at all some days. Throughout all of Iruka's new physical changes the man had become convinced that Kakashi would leave his sickly self behind, but Kakashi had reminded him that the younger man had never looked more beautiful and that he would never leave him.

Since he could barely walk let alone teach the man had lost his job at the local high school. Kakashi had tried his best by picking up random jobs throughout the city, but the medical bills ate up through most of their money. Soon his treatments were canceled, Tsunade had let him stay in the hospital, but could do nothing more for them than that. She had informed Kakashi that Orochimaru was now a huge influence at the hospital, and he had convinced the board to change their policies, and a lot of people were being turned down for medical care.

It seemed to be a hopeless situation.

"How long do you think he has?" It was a question he had been avoiding for almost a year now.

"If it was anyone else, he would have been dead a while ago, but Iruka is a fighter." Tsunade was avoiding the answer, and they both knew it.

"Tsunade, please I need to know." Kakashi needed to know to make preparations.

"At most, a month." It was less time than he had hoped for; then again anything less than 40 years was less.

"Do they know?" The question was directed towards the two occupants in the hospital room. Naruto had come over straight from his college classes and the two had spent the afternoon together. It was starting to get harder for Naruto to see his teacher so frail, but he came by every chance he got. The visits always seemed to make Iruka feel better and Kakashi was greatly thankful towards the blonde boy.

"Iruka knows, but he doesn't want to tell Naruto. It's understandable, the two are practically brothers." That meant Kakashi had to break the news, he wasn't even sure if he could do that. "I'll let you go in to see them. Iruka is having a good day today, so make the best of it." Tsunade left to do other work and Kakashi braced himself to walk into the room. No matter how long Iruka had looked frail, the older man had never gotten used to the site.

"Yo." The two occupants in the room turned and gave Kakashi bright smiles. "How's it going?"

"I was just telling Iruka how I beat that bastard Sasuke in the dojo today." Kakashi rolled his eyes at Naruto's competition with his best friend.

"Naruto, what did I tell you about language." Naruto froze and Kakashi let out a chuckle, it was good to know that no matter how sick the man was he could still strike fear with just his voice.

"Sorry Iruka." Iruka let out a small chuckle of his own and raised a shaky hand to pet the boy's blonde hair.

"Hey Naruto, why don't you head to our apartment, it's getting late and you have classes tomorrow." Kakashi saw the beginning if tears in Naruto's eyes and thought it might be a good idea to let the boy go before he broke down.

"Yeah, I'll see you tomorrow Iruka. You could help me study for my literature exam." Naruto gave Iruka a gentle hug and practically ran out of the room. The action wasn't lost on Iruka who let out a sad sigh.

"How was work?" Iruka patted the side of the bed and Kakashi sat down and carefully put an arm around the younger man's shoulders. Iruka sank into the warmth of his lover, with Naruto gone he finally allowed himself to look as tired as he felt.

"Work was fine. Guy was a little loud, but that's the usual." Iruka gave a weak laugh followed by a violent cough. Kakashi just patted his back and they sat in silence for a while.

"Tsunade told you I'm guessing. You don't have to stay you know." Kakashi had been having this conversation ever since Iruka had been diagnosed.

"I love you, and I would never leave you." Kakashi kissed Iruka's lips gently and brought him closer to his body.

"I love you too Kakashi." It was said in a whisper and the silver haired man knew that his lover was falling asleep so he rocked him in gentle motions. Tears were falling from his eyes; he didn't want to lose the man he loved so much. He was desperate, and a desperate man would do anything.

...

Every Thursday Kakashi and his friends would get together for a game of poker. Although no poker was ever played it was an excuse for them to see each other and drink.

Everyone seemed a little depressed this Thursday. They all had their own problems and no amount of cheap liquor was making them go away.

"I just don't know what to do, the baby will be born in a week and I have no idea how I'm going to support him." Asuma had lost his job in the takeover along with every other person in the room. His wife Kurenai was pregnant and they were desperate for money.

"Hey man, I'd give you the money if I could." Genma had been a body guard for Jiraiya and Orochimaru had fired him. His unique skills made finding a job almost impossible.

"Fuck you know we all would. Damn Orochimaru." Anko took a deep swing of her beer and gave Kakashi a meaningful look. "How's Iruka?"

"Worse. Tsunade says he has a month, tops." Anko had asked the question they all desperately wanted to ask, and now she regretted it. The group had accepted the teacher as their own and had been devastated by his health problems. "I'm getting desperate guys. I can't lose him."

"For this plan to work, we need desperate." Kakashi shot his head up towards the new occupant of the room. Jiraiya had gone into hiding almost two years ago and know was standing in Ibiki's small living room. He looked around and noticed immediately that he was the only one surprised by his appearance.

"What the hell is going on here?" To say Kakashi was pissed was an understatement. He never blamed his boss for losing control of his company, but when his mentor and family friend had just disappeared without any word, he had been furious with him.

"Kakashi," Guy stopped his next outburst by saying his name in a tone the man barely ever used. He sounded serious and it shut Kakashi up instantly. "Jiraiya had contacted all of us about a month ago, Iruka had just suffered through a health scare and we thought it best to include you later."

"We were hoping you wouldn't have to be involved at all, but we need you for this to work." Asuma had played a hand on his shoulder but Kakashi shook it off.

"Where were you?! I needed you, and you just disappeared! You promised you would never leave me! You're no better than him!" He had no idea why he was yelling, but it felt good. He had been holding it all in for the past year, and he didn't give a damn who heard him.

"Who are you talking about Kakashi, your father or Iruka?" Jiraiya's words took Kakashi off guard and he felt his control fall apart. He knew his peers were all there, but he didn't care who saw him cry.

This was the melt down that everyone had been waiting for. Kakashi was a strong man but he had a delicate heart. Anko knelt down next to her crying friend and brought him into a hug. The physical contact was comforting and soon he stopped crying all together.

"Kakashi, we're going to bring Orochimaru to justice. I've been working with Interpol for the past year and they have a man on the inside. They've agreed to give us everything we lost for our cooperation. I hired you all, because you're the best of the best. If you guys can't bring him down, no one can." Kakashi had calmed from his breakdown and he was listening carefully. His brain was working through everything at a genius level speed.

"I can hear you thinking from here Hatake, does that mean you're in?" Ibiki gave Kakashi a questioning look; he didn't want anyone on the team if they were going to break.

"I'm in." The atmosphere of the room seemed to lighten almost instantly. "Who is the mole?"

"Itachi. He's been working for Orochimaru since he started Interpol. The guy is good, and the moment this goes down his cover will be blown so we have one chance to get this right." Kakashi had certainly heard of Itachi from his brother and he couldn't help but smirk. This plan could work if they had him working on it.

"So how will this work. It's my understanding that the government has been trying to take down that bastard for years." Kakashi was skeptical, it was impossible not to be.

"The guy is getting a shipment of some pretty illegal stuff next Saturday. We need to make sure that the man is there to get the shipment his self. We already have people working on the ship; we just need our group to get Orochimaru there." Genma stated it like it was going to be the easiest thing in the world, but Kakashi was hooked. He missed the thrill of a mission.

"Next Friday we're going to 'rob' Orochimaru's personal lab. He tends to be a little on the paranoid side so he'll be sure to be at the docks Saturday night to make sure his shipment isn't compromised." Jiraiya gave his old employees a wicked grin. There was a reason why he hired them.

"So we are going to break into an impenetrable lab, and steal enough important stuff to make it seem like we mean business; all without being caught. Count me in!" Anko was pumped and so was the rest of the room.

The rest of the night was filled with conversations that would be had in a spy movie. It was exciting and for a short while they all forgot their troubles.

...

"Its troublesome but they want me to take another IQ test." Iruka laughed at his students familiar march phrase. He had been surprised when Shikamaru had come to visit him in the hospital since the young man attended college in another city. He was uncomfortable at first because he didn't want any of his old students to see him so sick, but that embarrassment went away quickly.

"It's good to see you doing so well. Your mother must be very proud of you. You've come a long way from sleeping in my class." Shikamaru let out a rare chuckle about his previous antics while at school, and Iruka couldn't help but smile.

"Who was that man that was in here earlier?" Iruka sighed in frustration; he was hoping that topic wouldn't be brought up.

"He was my lawyer; I had to update my will." Iruka had more energy than usual and he decided to put it to good use. If he were to die soon he wanted to make sure everyone that mattered got his possessions and not the government.

"Naruto said you were sick, but I didn't think it was this serious. I'm sorry I didn't visit you any sooner." Iruka hated the look on everyone's faces lately, they all looked sad and so full if regret. He took his former student into a gentle hug and rubbed his back softly.

"I'm glad that if I had to go, it's slowly so I have time to say my goodbyes and tie up loose ends. My parents never had that luxury; it's... its better this way." Shikamaru broke from the hug and looked at Iruka with an expression he had never seen before. It was sad, but full of understanding.

"I'm letting others now then; I'm sure Choji can get out of school and make you some good food for once. I'm sure Tsunade will allow it." Iruka was glad that his genius of an ex-student picked up on the queue to change the topic. He listened to his student talk about plans and hoped the odd tightness in his chest was from an upcoming cough attack.

"Ino will probably come with Choji anyways and Neji said he would be in town all of next week for a family function which means Hinata could also come..." When he realized Iruka was having trouble breathing Shikamaru's eyes widened in panic. The man started gasping for air and he seemed to be fighting a losing battle. He jumped off the bed and ran to find someone to help.

He had luckily run into Tsunade and she ran ahead of him with scary speed. She called for a crash cart and gave the genius instructions to call Kakashi.

While waiting for Kakashi to come to the hospital Shikamaru had run into his mentor, Asuma, and his wife, Kurenai. They had been there for an appointment about the baby and now they were all waiting outside the room together.

"I'm sure Iruka will be alright, he's a fighter." Kurenai was sitting on a chair and was rubbing her stomach softly. She had been hoping that Iruka would get better before the baby was born, but now she was just praying that the baby would be born before he died.

"Kakashi isn't going to take this latest attack well." Asuma was worried for Kakashi's sanity at this point. After the man's breakdown he had kept a close eye on his longtime friend.

"The situation is troublesome, but Iruka will live and Kakashi will be there this Friday night." Shikamaru had agreed to the plan against Asuma's wishes. They needed a hacker though and the lazy genius was one of the best. After Shikamaru was on board he had told Kurenai who would have been there if she wasn't due to have a baby within the next week.

"Where the hell is Kakashi anyways?"

"He's picking up Naruto, but he should be here any minute now." As soon as the statement was finished the trio saw Naruto and Kakashi running through the hall towards them.

"Is he alright?" They were both gasping for breath but Naruto had caught his first. The blonde had tears in his eyes and a worried expression on his face.

"We're not sure yet, I think they are still working on him. You two should rest a little and wait." Kakashi took a spot on the ground next to Asuma and leaned his back against the wall. He took out a familiar orange book but they all knew he wasn't really going to read it. Naruto sat down next to Kurenai and put his head on her shoulder. He was crying softly and Kurenai was doing her best to comfort him.

When Tsunade came out of the room all the occupants in the hall gave her their undivided attention. "He'll be okay but we almost lost him there a few times. Iruka probably won't be up to doing much for the next few days. I would make these next few days special, he doesn't have much time left."

"Thanks grandma, for everything." Tsunade gave Naruto a hug and ignored the insult just this one time. If Shikamaru had found anyone but her the sick teacher probably wouldn't have made it.

...

Kakashi watched the scene before him with sad eyes. Naruto and Shikamaru had gotten all of Iruka's past students together to visit their high school teacher. The room was full, but roomy since Tsunade moved Iruka to a larger room for visits.

They were all sharing stories and laughing, trying to forget the fact that a man they all knew was wasting away to nothing.

Choji had snuck in a picnic basket full of the most delicious bentos that anyone had ever tasted. Ino had come with him and had brought a beautiful bouquet of flowers with her; they even included Iruka's favorite flowers, tiger lilies. Apparently the two had been dating since graduation and were already looking for an apartment together. Iruka had been happy about the news, saying he called it from the beginning.

Sai had shown up, even though he was never taught by Iruka, had come and given the man a small water color painting of the ocean. Iruka had tears in his eyes when he accepted it and gave Sai a shaky hug.

Shino, who just came back from Africa, told Iruka all about his adventures. It was the shortest conversation of the day, but somehow Iruka could understand every word like it was a book. Kiba was also there, he complained about not being able to bring Akamaru, but had showed Iruka a picture of him anyways. He was going to school to be a vet and Iruka had ruffled his hair and stated that he couldn't think of anything better for him to do.

Hinata and Neji arrived together in true Hyuga fashion. Iruka was happy that the two got along so well, and was proud that Hinata had finally broken out of her shell. The girl wasn't sure what she wanted to do yet, but was surprisingly very into her school's drama club. Neji was going to school to be a lawyer and had plans to open his own law firm one day. And even more surprisingly than Hinata acting was the fact that Neji and Shikamaru were dating. The fact wasn't stated out loud but the whole room could see it between the two. Kakashi knew that Iruka had something to do with it by the way Neji thanked him, and he made a mental note to ask the teacher later.

Tenten, Lee and Sakura had arrived a little later than everyone else but had brought their own stories to tell. Tenten and Lee were in constant competitions when they weren't taking classes and were training to be in the Olympics. Sakura had been doing well at medical school and was top of her class.

Sasuke had been there all day with Naruto and was staying in Kakashi's apartment for the week. He had also been doing well and was going into law enforcement. He wanted to become the DA one day with plans to clean up the streets. He had arrived at the hospital before anyone else and he had talked to his former teacher for almost two hours before Kakashi had arrived. He had no idea what the moody boy and his lover had talked about but he knew it was private and wasn't going to pry.

Naruto was also going to college, for what was unknown but the occupants of the room all knew his dream like they knew their own. Naruto wanted to be mayor of the city just like his father, and they all supported him. Kakashi knew that if everything went wrong for the next two days, that even if his biggest supporter died, they would do their best to pick up the pieces.

What Iruka didn't know was that everyone in this room but him was going to risk their futures over the next few days. Jiraiya had pulled them all into the plan with Naruto's help and Kakashi was glad for their support. He was surprised at first, but then he remembered that most of these kids had plans to work for Jiraiya before the takeover, and all of them wanted to help their favorite high school teacher.

Kakashi knew that if Iruka knew any of this, they would all be feeling his wrath, but it was worth the risk. They would rather have him alive and angry, then dead.

...

"What's going on Kakashi?" Iruka couldn't speak above a whisper and could hardly move today. Kakashi was glad that all of his students visit yesterday, when he could at least embrace them weakly. Tsunade said he would be weak like this from now on.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Kakashi had decided to spend Friday afternoon with Iruka. He wasn't sure what would happen tonight and he wanted to say goodbye without actually saying it.

"Please... I'm tired, just tell me." They were on the bed in their usual position, Iruka half laying on top of Kakashi with one of the older man's arms wrapped around him. It was comforting and warm, and sometimes it was the only thing that made him feel sane.

"I'm going to make everything better." It was a vague answer, but it was the only one he had to give to Iruka. He was asleep again, and Kakashi hoped he wouldn't be mad when he woke up.

He decided to hold his sick lover for a little longer till Asuma and Kurenai came for him. Asuma was taking him right to the check point, while Kurenai was going to spend the night with the teacher. She was on bed rest and could barely walk anywhere, but she said she wanted to spend some quality time with her friend.

Kakashi didn't realize he had fallen asleep till Asuma shook him awake softly. Kurenai took his place on the bed awkwardly, and started rubbing small circles on Iruka's back when he started to stir.

"You ready for this?" Kakashi looked at Asuma then looked at the person that mattered most in his life.

"Yes."

...

There was a fundraising ball being held at the Grand Hotel in the northern part of the city. Anyone who held any power in the city would be there, including Orochimaru. Itachi was there with him as his personal assistant; it was his job to keep him there.

Also at the ball were several of the young teenagers who would keep an eye on him as well. Choji's family was hired to work the event so he would be there along with Ino who would be serving drinks for the evening. The Hyuga family was formerly invited so Hinata and Neji were there. Kiba's family was in charge of the strict security and Sasuke was working with him.

Shino had been preparing cameras for the events and had placed them all throughout the event as well on everyone in on the job. His base was in the center of the city which was a safe distance away from the action. Tenten and Lee were on lookout for the base and were in charge of destroying the evidence if things went sour.

In a van that was constantly moving were Raido, Anko, Shikamaru and Naruto. The van was set up with the most complicated computer system that only a genius could handle. According to Itachi the whole lab was run electronically and it was Shikamaru's job to hack into the system to make their job run smoothly. Naruto was there to give the genius anything he needed, Raido was driving, and Anko was the protection.

The group doing the actual stealing was the largest. Genma, Asuma, Ibiki, Sai, Sakura, Guy, Jiraiya, and Kakashi all had their jobs to do. Ibiki was in charge of the getaway van while Sakura was also there if a need for a medic arises. Genma could break his way into any vault, and had the job of taking out the guards. Asuma was an explosives expert and Guy was the strength of the group. Jiraiya was the intelligence; he knew what to steal for it to get noticed. Sai and Kakashi were the expert thieves; it was their job to take any items without leaving any evidence.

The guards changed shifts at all the posts at exactly 9:37pm. They would then have one hour to steal all the items Jiraiya told them to take. It was a short window, but the group had dealt with much worse.

_"Okay Kakashi, the guard shifts change in three minutes. I've successfully taken over the network and I'm ready for further instructions." _

With Shikamaru all set in action, it was time for the heist to begin.

...

The moment Sai and Kakashi had collected the last of the items was when it all turned sour. Raido had called in over the radio saying that the van was being followed and that he was having a hard time shaking them off.

The real trouble happened when the newest hire came to work at his post fifteen minutes earlier than scheduled. Genma had taken him out but not before the guard could call for backup.

The plan for when they were compromised was to blow the lab, it wasn't as subtle as they wanted it to be but it still got the message clear. Now they were getting all the guards out of danger all in keeping time to Asuma's countdown.

They were out the door when the backup came. They started to open fire, at the team and Genma and Jiraiya both ended up being shot. The group had gotten into the van when the place finally blew and Sakura was trying her best.

"Kakashi! I need more assistance; I've never dealt with this before!" Kakashi thought hard for a moment then yelled at Ibiki to let him take the wheel.

"Hang on everyone I'm gonna lose those bastards and get help!"

...

"Sir, there has been an issue with the lab's security." Itachi watched as Orochimaru calmly excused himself from Neji and walked to a private room available to the guests. Itachi braced himself when the door was closed and locked quietly.

"Status." The word was said with so much venom, that if it was anyone but Itachi he would have shivered.

"The lab has been destroyed, three guards injured, and items J17, B4, and M15 have been captured by unknown assailants." Itachi took note of the anger that the man was radiating and knew that the heist worked.

"Cancel my appointments for tomorrow. I want to pick up the shipment myself."

...

"Brat! Explain why the hell you are here at this time of night!" Kakashi gave Tsunade a hesitant look and took to note of her anger before answering.

"Maah, we might have run into a little trouble on the road of life." Tsunade rolled her eyes and let out an exasperated sigh.

"You know the drill, down the stairs. If any blood gets on my carpet you'll be sorry." She let the men and young women go in but stopped Kakashi from flowing. "Please tell me you got that bastard."

"Yeah. Interpol promised us that most of our money would be returned to us on Monday. If he's up to it, Iruka could start treatment as early as Tuesday." Tsunade gave Kakashi a warm smile and lead him inside her house.

"You did well brat. Your old man would be proud."

...

**7 Months Later**

"Ladies and gentlemen, we are gathered here today, to morn a loved one."

"Are you idiots really wasting my time by having a funeral for a hat?!" Kakashi and Naruto exchanged looks of pure happiness before wincing in pain from the hits on the head they received.

"Maah Iruka, the funeral for that orange monstrosity marks a new chapter in our lives." Kakashi pulled his lover into a forced hug and buried his head into the teacher's messy brown spikes. Iruka was growing them out till his usual length and Kakashi had become obsessed with touching his hair.

"Hey! I gave him that hat." Naruto gave a fake pout and Iruka ruffled his hair and gave a warm chuckle. Naruto pulled him away from Kakashi and gave his teacher a bone crushing hug. The man was still healing, but he wasn't frail anymore and was growing stronger every day.

Kakashi couldn't help but smile at the scene. Iruka was getting better and he was looking forward to the next 40 years with the person he loved most.

_fin_


End file.
